Gifting Books for Children

I recently had the opportunity to go shopping for some picture books for a new baby.  It was so fun browsing through some of my old favourites.  I tried to go beyond the normal baby books as I figured this family might have a good collection of books already.  If you are looking for a book for a new baby or a Christmas gift for a young child the ones below are sure to please.  If you need any other suggestions please feel free to reach out and I'd be happy to recommend something.

My first choice was I Wish You More by Amy Krouse Rosenthal.  This is my ultimate gift giving book.  I will gift in place of a card with a personalized message inside.  I have gifted this book for so many occasions and it's also timeless - I've gifted it to babies, young adults headed to college and adults.  I love this book.  I swear when I worked at Indigo the sales of this book had to have gone way up because I recommended it to anyone that was gifting.  Might just be my all time favourite book.  Ever!

The Book with No Pictures by B J Novak.  Yes, that's B J Novak the guy that played Ryan from The Office aka my all time favourite TV show.  This book is hilarious.  When I read it to kids I play it off as really boring but they quickly figure out this book is all fun.  Try saying Boo Boo Butt to a room full of grade 3 students and that library isn't so quiet anymore.

Llama Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney is another great choice.  I fell in love with Llama Llama books while reading them to my own kids.  Who doesn't love saying the word LLama?  Also, they are so cute!  As a knitter - they make great yarn too.  This is a fun story to read before bed.

Press Here by Herve Tullet is an amazing interactive story.  It's a book a child can really grow with and there are so many conversation points on each page.  Start with pointing out the different colours.  Move to counting the dots.  The story can feel like magic turning each page.

Sky Color by Peter H Reynolds is a book I think about often.  It's about a young girl that wants to paint the sky but she doesn't have a blue crayon.  Every time I see the sky with reds and purples I think of this book.  Also, I highly recommend every single one of Peter H Reynolds books.  They are all amazing.

Otherwise Engaged by Susan Mallery

 

Otherwise Engaged begins with Shannon checking out a wedding venue for her mom's, Cindy, upcoming wedding.  When they bump into another mother/daughter (Ava/Victoria) duo looking for a venue for a birthday party.   After a moment it's very clear that there is something going on between the two moms that neither daughter understands.  After an awkward amount of time has passed Ava explains that she was always supposed to adopt Shannon but Cindy changed her mind at the last minute.  This obviously brings up a lot of feelings and questions.

Victoria has always known she was adopted.  She's the maid's daughter.  What she's never understood is why her mother doesn't seem to love her.  Why they've never got along.  Victoria has made it her life's mission to do the opposite of what would please her wealthy mother.  Instead of college she became a stunt woman but secretly she's writing a manuscript.

Shannon has a wonderful relationship with her mom, Cindy.  If anything maybe a little too close.  They dress the same and celebrate their birthdays together.  It's quite shocking to think her mom once thought about not keeping her.

The story unravels with each woman coming to terms with their life choices and the daughters dealing with the emotional impact of it all.

Otherwise Engaged is a really good story and a unique plot that I hadn't read before.  There's a scene near the end that I can't say too much about but I don't think I'd be so dismissive and forgiving about.  The only other thing I thought was a bit strange as there is really no presence in the story of Cindy's fiance.  He's not crucial to the story line but I thought he could have been brought into a few scenes similar to Shannon's fiance.